Purpletelescope - Random Studyblr

The only acceptable solar system diagram!

Propagation of Error

When I first started in physics, I was utterly clueless about propagating error. After three years of college, I have a better grasp of it and feel more comfortable using it in the lab. Have a look if you’re having trouble with error propagation!

Error and Uncertainty

Error: an unknown quantity in the realm of the state of nature

Uncertainty: a parameter in the realm of our state of knowledge about nature

Type A uncertainty: statistical in nature (an example of this would be if you were launching an object 15 times and recorded each distance)

Type B uncertainty: not statistical in nature (an example of this would be a digital reading on a scale - no matter how many times you put the same object on the scale, you will get the same reading)

Random vs Systematic Error

Random Error

environmental fluctuations

equipment noise

natural processes

Systematic Error

environment: fixed beyond a relevant parameter

measurement technique: assumptions, experimenter bias

equipment with an offset or using equipment beyond its limits

uninformed choices

You can reduce random error by taking more measurements.

You can reduce systematic error through thoroughness, properly calibrating equipment, reading manuals, and ensuring reproducibility. 

Basic Error Propagation

This is the standard equation for error propagation:

This represents the uncertainty in the measurement of some value x. Suppose you are measuring this value based on this equation:

You took three measurements, a, b, and c, and plugged them into this equation to get x. However, there is some uncertainty associated with each of these three values. Let’s say you measured a on a scale, b on an oscilloscope, and c with a ruler. There is uncertainty associated with all of those measurements. When you’re reading the scale, you read it as 15.45g. Let’s assume there is an uncertainty of 0.01g in that reading. Similarly, you read your oscilloscope to be 3V, and there is an uncertainty of 0.05V. You read your ruler to be 3.45cm, and there is an uncertainty of 0.05cm. We now have our uncertainties for the three values:

a = 15.45g +/- 0.01g

b = 3V +/- 0.05V

c = 3.45cm +/- 0.05cm

The other aspect of the uncertainty equation is taking the partial derivative. Those are the dx/da and dx/db parts of the equation. We will take the partial with respect of each term. 

The partial derivative of the equation for x with respect to a is 2a2

The partial derivative of the equation for x with respect to b is 2

The partial derivative of the equation for x with respect to c is 4.5

Now, we can plug into our equation:

Your uncertainty in your measurement for x is +/- 22.86.

I hoped this helped you if you’re struggling with uncertainty! 

Dark Academia in STEM

Blackboards full of equations and chalk on your sleeve

Rummaging through your desk to find that one paper with that one reference you need, among mountains of other papers

Looking at old photographic plates of old telescopes

Wandering through empty corridors, looking at the busts of famous scientists

Drinking hot, black coffee on cold observation nights

Forgetting the time whilst working in the lab

Reading through and correcting the thesis of a friend who works in the same field as you

Getting distracted from work by a scientific discussion next to the coffee machine

Longing to read a novel, but having no time next to all the papers you have to read

Thick, expensive books on your desk, you don’t even dare to touch

Writing with one hand behind your back, it is already dark outside but you have not noticed because the lights are on and there are still more people around, just as you, deep in thought, silently discussing different theories 

Seeing two people at a blackboard, debating a problem, as more and more people join in to participate 

Notebooks filled with derivations and equations

Tea stains on the pages of the paper you have to read

Prints of the most important texts for your work covered in notes and highlights, the paper looking worn out

---

spring journal prompts

things to get rid of, things to gain

something you want to learn

go out and press some spring flowers, write how each makes you feel

write what each colour of the rainbow means to you

what does birdsong make you think of?

do some mental spring cleaning; dump old thought patterns that no longer serve you

set a "spring goal" for yourself

watch the sun rise, write about it

design your ideal ecosystem

what are you looking forward to?

go outside. what do you hear? how does that make you feel?

---

winter dark academia

- waking up to cold mornings and condensation on your windows

- brewing a cup of hot coffee while reading a book

- wearing cozy sweaters and cardigans to stay warm

- draping your favorite long coat over your shoulders to create a mysterious silhouette

- stepping through heavy, packed snow as you walk to your morning class

- watching the glistening trees, pausing your podcast to admire them in their full glory

- combing your fingers through your hair to remove the falling snowflakes

- sipping hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire, turning the pages in your book leisurely

- stringing fairy lights to brighten up a dark room

- practicing your instrument in the evening, pretending to play at night - but the sun just sets early, but that’s not important

- relishing the long, dark hours to keep focused on your work

- listening to the quiet tones of claire de lune as you scribble through your essay

Some illustrations from Astronomy, Explained Upon Sir Isaac Newton's Principles and Made Easy to Those Who Have Not Studied Mathematics by James Ferguson (1799).

---

the one with the brains

---

the physics students

as requested by the wonderful @starferns

the chalkboard at the front of the lecture hall, covered in equations and graphs

visualizing a problem in your mind, step by step

cold water with ice cubes and a slice of lemon

diagrams drawn hastily on the corner of your paper, scribbled lines and half formed thoughts

replicating famous experiments and demonstrations

watching youtube videos late at night, picking apart complex theories

having an instinct for force diagrams and direction of motion

rushed, messy handwriting

finding beauty in motion and calculation and precision

seeing the universe as unimaginably small and unimaginably large at the same time

a well-worn grey sweater, frayed a little at the sleeves

equations scribbled on your arm until you know them by heart

studying newton and meitner and plank, all those who went before

talking with your hands, forming the shapes of arcs and trajectories as you work through a problem

long hallways and cold, sunny days

late night study groups

staring up at the sky, knowing exactly why and how the planets move as they do

trying einstein’s thought experiments

an old grandfather clock, pendulum measuring the passage of time

pages filled with calculations and precise strings of digits

---

A Stash of Tiny Study Tips

STAYING MOTIVATED

Create realistic goals: get ___ grade on next ____

Manageable let down; get back on track

Keep track of grades: focused, know where stand, no surprises

Start small

Low risk confidence builders

Take time to relax/give self rewards

Days off, breaks, rewards

All work & no play =/= living

Little organization goes a long way

Reward achievements!

Keep balance with exercise, clubs, friends

2h/d: friends and exercise

Remember that hard work pays off

Isn’t a breeze to try to get a 4.0 GPA; but it’s possible

You’re smart enough and can achieve it

90% there with these tips, 10% is just pure hard work

Only chill on weekends

Monday-Friday: school mode

Have time for some fun

If work as hard as should during week, will need weekends to blow off steam

Be self-motivated

Grades can matter, not everything, but follow through on what needs to be done

Not most important part of college but underperform? You will regret it

GPA cutoffs exist and matter to employers

College is full of distractions and opportunities

Nobody will hold hand and the work will suck but all the prouder of yourself to be

Suck it up, buckle down, get it done

If think need break, probably don’t

Turn off the little voice

Realize not alone in questioning ability

Avoid people who tend to burst bubbles no matter what 

Physical triggers to stop

Incentive to get something done when know have something else during the day

Don’t have a gaping abyss of study time

Work has to get done, in the end

Books, examiners, and especially your future self isn’t going to care about your excuses for not doing the work

Take the first step

It will almost be fictional how hard you thought the task was going to be

Just keep going because you simply can’t afford NOT to do anything today, nonzero days

Leeway, don’t give your perfectionism control over your life

MUNDANE HABITS

Sleep! Think and function, mind & body

CAN sleep if keep up with coursework instead of procrastinating

Will miss out on some fun stuff

Need to stay awake in class

Figure out what need for full speed

Stay relaxed

Stay physically healthy

Diet and exercise

1 hour exercise during week

Weekends off

Traditional breakfast not necessary if value extra sleep

Systematic habits: neat, prepared

Master material

Look for real world applications

Learning is a process: be patient, don’t expect to master off the bat

Designate study area and study times

Do trial runs

Practice tests

Ask a TA to listen to your oral performance

Study groups

Don’t copy other people’s psets and solutions

BEFORE SEMESTER

Spiral bound notebook, can color code with folders/etc if need be

Lecture notes: front to back

Reading notes: back to front (if fall behind on)

Seminar notes: mixed in with lecture notes, different pen color/labeled

Outline format

Bullet points for everything

Same NB for one set of class notes, separate notebooks for all classes

5-subject notebook

Midterm and exam material in it

Mesh sources, study guide

All study material from week/month in one place

Pick the right major

Indulge in favorite hobby feeling

Pick professors & classes wisely

Take a small class

Pick classes that interest you so studying doesn’t feel torturous

Want to learn

GRADES SPECIFIC

Prioritize class by how can affect GPA

More credits: more weight

Work enough to get an A in your easy classes: take something good at

Don’t settle, don’t slack off, don’t put in minimal effort to get that B/C. Just put in a tiny bit more effort to ensure A

Will have harder classes and need to counteract

Take electives can ace

Anything but an A in an elective is kinda mean and an unnecessary hit for your GPA

FIRST DAY/WEEK/HALF OF CLASSES

Get to know teaching style: focus most on, lecture/notes

Pick and follow a specific note taking format

Outline

Date each entry

Capture everything on board

Decide productivity system

Google Cal

Todoist

Agenda: remind meetings, class schedule, important dates/midterms/quizzes/tests, no homework 

Always wanted to be prepared

Rarely last minute

Have plan, stay focused

Homework notebook

Good redundancy

Study syllabus

Know it thoroughly

Plot all due dates after class

Penalize if fail to abide by

Study the hardest for the first exam

Seems counterintuitive

Hardest/most important test

Pay attention to content and formatLess pressure: just need ___ on final to keep my A 

Easy to start high and keep high

Go into crunch mode at the beginning

End softly

Get plenty of sleep, exercise, and good food in the finals days before the exam

DURING SEMESTER: PEOPLE

Get to know professors: go to office hours, care about grades/course/them

Easier ask for help, rec letter

Get to know interests and what they think is important

Figure out their research interests, 60% of their job is research

Learning is dynamic

Discussion helps

Get feedback early when not sure what doing

Take comments constructively

Consistent class participation: ask questions, give answers, comment when appropriate

Understand material

Find a study buddy in each class: don’t have to study with

Somebody can compare notes with, safety net

Pick somebody who attends, participates, and take notes regularly

Make some friends

Participate as fully as can in group activities

Be involved

Learn – not be taught

Be punctual

Good impression, on human professors

DON’T BE LATE

Skipping class =/= option: It’s “cool” to get attendance award

Make all the classes: it’s hard to feel confident when missing key pieces

Get full scope of class, everything will make a lot more sense and save a lot of time in long run

Mandatory class: higher graduating cumulative GPA

Go to class when no one else does/want to show up, reward

Get to know professor, what’s on test, notice, r/s build, material not in reading

Unless optional and super confusing professor

Sit in one of the first rows

Don’t fall asleep

Fake interest if you have to

Tutors

DURING SEMESTER: THINGS TO DO

Take notes! Provided is bare minimum, accessed by students who aren’t attending lecture

Based on lecture and what read –> test; it’ll be worth it

Write it down

By hand

Bored? Doodle instead of going online

Read all assigned–even if need to skim

Seems cumbersome and maybe impossible

Figure out what’s important

Look at the logical progression of the argument/what’s important/what trying to prove

Understand everything that you do read–even if don’t read everything

PIck 2 examples from text per topic

Complete course material on time

DO NOT WAIT UNTIL DAY BEFORE IT IS DUE

Begin as soon as possible

Sometimes it’s just straight up impossible

Have it look attractive

Library doesn’t just mean = study

Social media in the library is still social media

Confusion is terrible

Read other textbooks, review course material @ another uni/by another professor, google the shit out of it

Review

Do not wait, do throughout semester

Exam prep

Ask for model papers, look at style & structure, thesis, how cite

Get old tests

Look at type of questions (detail level and structure)

Can solve old exams cold

If give out paper exams in class: probs won’t repeat questions, focus more on concepts but still learn the questions

Have class notes and psets down cold

Do all the practice problems

Read through notes a few times; rewrite into a revision notebook

Highlight major topics and subtopics

Different highlighter for vocab terms

Overall picture, go from concept to detail

Look at overall context and how specific idea fit into whole course

Ideas, don’t memorize all your notes

Better understand = more able to use and manipulate info and remember it. Understand = manipulation.

Charts, diagrams, graphs

Lists

Practice drawing labeled structures

Flash cards for memorization

Every school requires some degree of grunt memorization

Say it aloud, write it down

Get friends to quiz you

Self-test: severely challenge self, have a running collection of exam questions

Explain difficult concepts to your friends; force yourself to articulate the concept

Never pull an all-nighter

Do not spend every hour studying up to the exam

Eat, shower, sleep

Don’t wait until night before exam to study

Prep takes time even if reviewed throughout semester

Ask about format–don’t ask the professor to change it for you

Law of College: it will be on the exam if you don’t understand it

Ask professor, internet, textbooks

Night before exam

Jot what want to remember/have fresh

Read through in morning/before exam

Physical prep

Sleep, have test materials

Day of exam

Don’t cram every single spare minute

Go to bathroom before exam

Never miss an exam/lie to get more time

You won’t be any more ready 2-3 days after when supposed to have taken it

Slay exam. Get A. 

WEEKLY 

Friday morning: go through each syllabus, write down in HW notebook

All hw during weekend; study/reading assignments during week

Save everything

Divide big tasks into small pieces to help propel self

Standard study schedule: block off lectures, labs, regular commitments

Note the weeks that have assignments and tests that will require extra studying

Don’t oscillate too heavily every day with study times (i.e. don’t study 2-3 hours for weeks and then 10-12 hour days right before an exam)

Eat and sleep to make more extended work periods liveable and enjoyable

DAILY

Set an amount of time would like to study every day

Try to study most days

Avoid vague/zoned out studying –> waste of time

Do a little bit daily but don’t let studying be your whole day

Review notes: 30mins/day, each class from that day

Look at important ideas/vocab

Prioritize new vocab because language is most fundamental and important tool in any subject

Circle abbreviations and make yourself a key somewhere so you don’t forget what the hell that abbreviations meant

Check spelling

Rewrite/reorganize notes if necessary

Format of ideas is just as important as the concepts themselves, esp. when it comes time for exam review

This helps you retain the material so you’ll be ahead next time you walk into class

Chance to ID any knowledge gaps that you can ask about for next class

Keep up with reading

Skim text before lecture or at least main topic sentences

Jot down anything don’t understand; if lecture doesn’t clarify, ask the professor

After lecture: skim again, outline chapter, make vocab flashcards

Highlight similar class and lecture notes

will definitely be tested on

Review and make study questions

Study

Disconnect from anything irrelevant to study material: help focus and your GPA

Don’t limit studying to the night

Study whenever, wherever between classes

Variety helps focus and motivation

Especially if tired at night and can’t transition between subjects

Try to study for a specific subject right before/after the class

---

Bujo trackers for getting your shit together

I typed a super long ass post about this and the accidentally deleted it before saving and now I’m lying on the cold hard ground

Yohoo potatoes, I’m back with another *whips out a megaphone out of nowhere* “long ass post” (is that my patent now?) for you guys! This one could help out with your studyjo/bujo (if you don’t know what a studyjo is don’t worry I’ll link it later) and organising that potato life to make the most of it!

Why should I use a bullet journal?

You’s a student

You’s busy

You’s got life you can’t handle sometimes

You will 120% forget about tat assignment deadline unless you’re reminded of it

You get to laugh at your past self after 20 years or so

It’s therapeutic and all that ish

You’ll like it because it’s being productive while actually kinda procrastinating (aren’t we bosses at procrastinating?)

Memories :)

Bolded ones are the trackers I am using and are potato proofed

1. Study related :

SYLLABUS TRACKER : finals can go a little smoothly if you have it all at one place

PROJECT PLANNER/TRACKER : deadlines + road map of how you’re gonna ace that project

STUDY SESSION TRACKER : time, date, subject and rating your session

GOALS TRACKER : realistic ones, like score 75% or more in this test, or master the concept of integration (ughh). Philosophy ones come later ;)

EXAM PLANNER : plan something for each day a week before your exam and see the magic

For solving based subjects :

PROBLEM TRACKER : shade the box every day you solve “x” number of sums

FORMULA QUIZ : the most difficult ones which you’ll never remember unless they’re carved on your ribs

Theory based subjects :

CONCEPT PLANNER : shade the box every day you learn “x” concept nicely

RANDOM CONCEPTS TO REVISE LIST : super helpful when you’re procrastinating and don’t know what to study - refer to this list and do you ish

READINGS LIST : shade the box every day when you read “x” number of paragraphs from textbooks/notes/books

Language based subjects :

WORD OF THE DAY PAGE : one word every day

PASSAGE OF THE MONTH : sort of like a journal but in your target language

FAVOURITE SENTENCES/QUOTES /SONGS/ETC IN *TARGET LANGUAGE* PAGE - similar to a journal thing, make it all aesthetic and cool so you’ll want to fill it in more

2. Entertainment related stuff :

MOVIES WATCHED SO FAR - all the movies, maybe stash a ticket or smthn?

MOVIE OF THE MONTH - can pick any one tbh

APPRECIATION PAGE FOR *FAV ACTOR/ACTRESS* - can you guess who’s appreciated by this potato?

SONG OF THE MONTH - only pick one and trust me that is very difficult

APPRECIATION PAGE FOR *FAV SINGER* - guess mine again?

PLAYLIST OF THE MONTH - best songs only

MIX TAPE FOR *FAV PERSON* - you can actually even make a real one and give it to someone you really like ;)

SERIES TRACKER - episodes/seasons number, shade the box as you finish it

REVIEW PAGE - review some movies/TV show you just saw

FAVOURITE MOVIE QUOTES PAGE - “you’re a wizard, Harry”

3. Mind related stuff :

QUOTES PAGE - motivational, sentimental stuff

MEDITATION TRACKER - this potato might try it

CROSSWORD TRACKER - shade the box every time you successfully solve an entire crossword/puzzle

RIDDLE TRACKER - shade the box every day if you solved 1 riddle

CREATIVITY PAGE - doodles, ugly poetry, cringy picky up limes, whatever floats your goat

BRAIN DUMP PAGE - every single thing on your mind transferred on this page. Suggested before sleeping so that you’re light headed and stress-free

IDEAS ORGANISER PAGE - give form to those abstract plots and connect all ideas to make a bigger one

PERSONAL PROJECT PLANNER - like maybe that book you always wanted to write

LIFE IN PIXELS - mad, sad or smad?

4. Health related stuff :

EXERCISE TRACKER - shade the box every day if you did “x” duration/amount of exercise

FOOD TRACKER - keep record of what junk you munched on today and try to avoid it sometimes

WATER TRACKER - ughh so important

CARBS TRACKER - kill a puppy next time you overeat

MOOD TRACKER - graphs look fancy tbh

ROLE MODEL’S PAGE - everything hermione granger does/says

5. Money related stuff :

BUDGET TRACKER - note down every little thing you spent on, figure out where you can save up

SAVINGS TRACKER - fill that little jar and buy those pens you always wanted to

Aaand that’s about it for now! I’ll be back with another long ass post so have fun bullet journaling till then!

Feel free to hmu if you aren’t clear about how to use a certain tracker!

Etudaire ~

---